A New Way to Twerk-Out

I know, I know. The word twerk probably generates a negative (or even violent!) reaction because you’re automatically associating it with Miley Cyrus’ unforgettable performance on this year’s VMAs.

But don’t let that completely ruin your opinion of twerking- there’s actually a lot more to it!

If you’re wondering what exactly twerking means, let me help you out a bit. Urban Dictionary lists several fascinating descriptions of the word – my personal favorite being “to work one’s body, as in dancing, especially the rear end.” Can you paint that mental picture?

I was hiking with a friend last week who told me about a trip she and her mother recently took to North Carolina to visit her sister. During their visit, the three women decided to step outside of their comfort zone and take a class at a local studio that offered various “alternative” types of workouts. The one they signed up for was called Twerk It – and is exactly what you’d imagine. The instructor showed the class the art of twerking and all of the booty-shaking strength training and cardio that goes along with it! My friend said it was the most fun exercise class she’s ever done in her life and was totally shocked by just how much of a workout it was.

I was “blessed” with a totally flat, shapeless behind… so could I learn to twerk? Is this really a workout? I did some of my own research recently to see just how many calories I could burn through dancing around to pop musicand concluded that it was a great workout (over 300 calories in 30 minutes!). The “dancing” that I was doing is definitely a lot lower intensity than that of a twerk-out.

Twerking requires much greater use of the muscles in the lower body. The moves fire up the quads (from squatting) and glutes (from booty shaking), which will help shape your legs and butt. Maybe that’s been the secret all of long to these lean, mean, toned celebrity machines. Like…

Vanessa Hudgens

Rihanna

Jennifer Lopez

Twerking’s quick movements and high intensity moves also provide a great heart-pounding cardio workout!

Lauren Martin is a NESTA certified personal trainer, Bodypump and spinning instructor. She holds a bachelor's degree in graphic design and a master's in art education and is the author of the blog Me and the Mountains. Lauren resides in Broomfield, Colorado with her husband and two Golden Retrievers.

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